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In light of the recent event of circulation of a video made by a fellow Navodayan conveying disappointment about another organisation and its working methods, AINAA wants to clarify that it has not been done on our behalf. We are in no way associated with the making and circulation of the mentioned video. AINAA’s name has been used in the video without permission.

AINAA was formed in 2004 as the first alumni association of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. It was registered in 2009 by the same name. In this journey we have joined hands with alumni from every state, worked on many causes – relating to alumni, current students, teachers and on other social issues. We strictly adhere to our motive of helping students, alumni and teachers. AINAA has never been associated itself with conflicts and controversies. We pride ourselves on our ability to work with integrity even in adverse situations. AINAA’s work speaks for itself and we don’t engage in petty politics, within and outside the organisation.

We have contacted the maker of the video to convey our displeasure over the use of the name AINAA. We take no responsibility for the actions, legal or otherwise, emerging from this video for the maker. We don’t associate ourselves with the views expressed. The name and logo of AINAA are registered properties and the use of the same without affiliation and permission of AINAA can invite consequences for the user.

AINAA was, and always will be open to the dedicated Navodayan who want to contribute in a positive and ethical manner.

First of all, A heart-felt thank you to all of you for your kind support and contribution. This brings us back to thanking you all, once again, for the support you have already given us for a social cause. We truly appreciate your support!

After seeing the deadly situation, we alumni of Navodaya are trying to do something about it. There are so many ways to help the helpless here. We are thinking of providing shelter, sponsorship for children (at least for a year) and logistics. We may not be able to do this for all, but at least we can do it for a few within our capacity.

We JNVK alumni are organizing medical camp for flood affected areas in various places of our district Katihar. Our coordinators right from the first batch to the recent batch are involved in this team work. The end to end workflow goes from planning to implementing the programs to fulfill our core objective. However we do keep analysing and evaluating ourselves from time to time in order to improve our team spirit and efficiency.

We work as team where entire JNVK family is involved in playing an important role in this worst situation. The food packaging is being done by our lovely students under the guidance of our teachers at JNVK campus as advised by DM sir.

Medicines are being donated by our own alumni, Amit Chaudhary bhaiya, Abhinav bhaiya, and Alok bhaiya who are also coordinating with people who can make things possible at ground level. We have received medicines for upcoming 10 camps. We are playing double entry role under the guidance of our BigB Dr. Rahul Bhaiya who is guiding us from Singapore.

Our brothers and sisters on the ground who make things happen positively are to be appreciated more than anything else because it would not have been possible without them. The coordination between us enables smoother movement towards our target. We are trying to cover all the flood affected areas and its going on well, kudos to our heroes Reza Bhaiya and Ranjeet bhaiya. Seeing us, other organizations have also come to conduct medical camps in the same area the next day. Chauki, kadwa block is one of the example of it, where more than 250 people turned up in a day. Samaili is another example of it.

Donations and Funds part is being taken care of by Rajkishor and others. All our recent batch coordinators are spreading the message in social media so that we can get donation from all the corners.

We are going to organize a Get Together @JNVKatihar, Bihar on 23rd, 24th and 25th in the month of December 2017. This is decided after having the discussion with DM of Katihar.

Most important, this is exclusively for JNVK Alumni. As we all know that we are working/living/studying in various places of India. By hosting this meet at our lovely campus, our aim will be twofold: First, to know each other and propose for future plan through our mutual discussion. Secondly, to make this event a memorable event via our interaction as we know for the development of any action, interaction is very important.

It will be a meet for three days. We will publish the objectives of this meet soon. The chief guests and guests, who are going to interact and motivate the alumni, will not be a surprise this time. All the JNVK alumni are invited for this meeting. Think, Decide and kindly confirm your availability so that we can PROCEED accordingly. We want to know roughly how many of alumni will gather for the event so that we can make better arrangements.

Dear friends, we can’t return what navodaya has given us but at least we can try to give back to the society as much as possible by participating in this event. Our little effort can shape the future of those growing navodayans. We request everybody to please feel free to put your ideas/views in order to make this event memorable and successful and also to carry forward the torch of responsible JNV alumni and students.

We all are aware of the flood situation in Bihar. I have faced it for the first time as I am in Bihar for the last few days. The flood situation in Bihar continued to be grim with major rivers overflowing into the neighbouring areas. Many districts have been affected by the floods including my district, KATIHAR. And its very very scary when you see the dam broken just 3 km away from your home. It feels like escaping death from its deadly jaws when you see the water overflowing the dam so closely. So many people have died, several have lost their homes. The condition is so pathetic in some areas that we cannot describe in words. You can see the dead bodies of children, young and old lying here and there when the water recedes. The data published officially for loss of life may be less than what the real situation is. Relief camps are being setup by the Government but the need of the hour is much more than that.

After seeing the deadly situation, we alumni of Navodaya have decided to do something about it. There are so many ways to help the helpless here. We are thinking of providing shelter, sponsorship for children (at least for a year) and logistics. We may not be able to do this for all, but at least we can do it for a few within our capacity.

You know that great things are shaped by simple and small things. So let us think and act upon it, as someone has rightly said “a small good deed is better than the grandest good intention”. So the time has come for us to join together and strengthen each other so that we are able to serve seamlessly our own family members facing this disaster.

We are open to receive the contribution from all the coroners. Every donation, whatever be the amount, is welcome. No donation is small when it is done with a big heart. Any amount you can donate would be greatly appreciated! And at the same time, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been supporting this cause.

You may use anyone of the mentioned account for contribution. Some donations have come to the account of Rajkishor, Prakash, and Avnish while some of have donated through other channels. Additionally, soon we will be updating the details of contribution made till now. Also, I appreciate all our coordinators for their great coordination and support. Let’s join hands together!

You may donate online or through our many other ways like through Paytm # 9619500732. We have made it easy to help in ways that work for you.

It’s been 6 years now, we have lost Iqbal sir and since then JNVK has changed so much. Over time, his loss became more acute for JNV Katihar. Within few year, result went down. Forget result, Navodaya is more than this! Not only result, if truth be told, the whole school environment and morality is deteriorating day by day which is unfavorable for a residential school culture.

Few months back when I heard some indigestible news about unethical actions from few of my juniors that disturbed me a lot and I couldn’t stop myself to visit the place, where I have spent golden days of my life.

It is highly unethical and immoral! Any principal or higher authority of any school, be it new or old for the campus, having the administrative powers of entire school, should be more responsible towards his/her action. They must have ethics and moral values by virtue. Nevertheless, nowadays, the people who are newly posted in school to lead the administration are lacking the moral value and character. It is sad that,they are not aware of residential school culture and its values.

Most administrators spend a most of their time dealing with school discipline and behavior. It seems few spiritless people have joined educational institution and have their own axe to grind as they don’t have any other options. Such people will never be able to impart a quality education to students when they themselves don’t know what they are doing. When you don’t have a moral value to play in front of children/students, you don’t deserve such a dignified place for your unethical activity. We respect and value our teachers and it’s not honor that one can “demand” for, but something that has to be “earned”!!!

What kind of education can be imparted by such a person who cannot even watch his own behavior???? Misuse of powers at such a position should be acted upon very strictly by higher authorities. But I don’t know why they are unable to act accordingly.

Schools are the ideal places to inculcate values in our children, including how to build ‘CHARACTER’ and make good choices down the road. There are some people who may have some goodness in them, they have a certain code of morals and values that they live by, and this keeps them “grounded”.

I strongly feel that the culture of a school determines the frequency of successful students. Any School would always be interested in three kinds of outcomes: “Skills” to be able to do something, “knowledge” to be able to differentiate between right and wrong, and “Character” to develop good habits and virtue. Most importantly, it’s about promoting ethics, values, and behavior in building a positive and productive person. It’s everything we do that influences the kind of human beings we become.

This is ironical that some pathetic people are there to build character of the students.

I always believed and followed “Don’t respect person or position, Respect BEHAVIOUR!” I will forgive anything you do in your life, because it doesn’t matter to me. However, if any of your action leaves negative impact on the campus, we the alumni of Navodaya will be shameful for such people/administration/higher authority. We always make sure that they hear our say and will do whatever we can to make things right.”

We have decided not to hide anything so that other people get benefit of it and raise their voice against immoral acts.

I came across this statement: “Independent women today have no patience”. Though there is nothing new in it, but the surprising part is that this was given by a woman to my friend”s husband. This mentality in today’s world, I really feel very sorry for her.

I don’t know if she has a declaration of Independence “signed” by somebody (may be her husband)! Think seriously!! Do we actually need somebody to define that we are free? I somehow felt that she was defending herself in the name of dignity. Does she really have dignity? Or, she has a concern that independent women are capable of raising their voice or to deal with the ego which some men have?

She must understand that a real and right relationship, It will only make you feel more like yourself, MORE PATIENCE, more independent and more certain of who you are! Strong, independent women have the ability to let mistakes roll off their backs and to learn from their bad choices patiently. And being Independent myself, I personally do not need anybody to declare that I am an “Independent and free.” Some say, “free will” is an illusion at best; I thoroughly disagree!

Some advice-givers would like to take the role of ‘more knowledgeable person’ in the society. I fail to understand the mentality of these so called ‘progressive thinkers’ who have absolutely no idea what the world is beyond the doors of their air-conditioned walls? It does not matter whether you are in New Delhi or New York, if your thinking does not change!

A woman, who uses her own mind to take any decision, is viewed as being wrong. I know, mostly girls are raised with one single goal and that is to get married and stay married, no matter what! No education teaches that, in fact independence is something which can be considered as the biggest gift of “Education” to women. If patience means to bear atrocities, then it is better that independent women do not have it. However, I read an old saying somewhere “patience is virtue”, I did not know that the virtue means bearing atrocities, tolerating wrong doings, getting humiliated, yet giving respect to all. 😆

Moreover, Few women got happiness does not mean everybody is leading the same good life, but ask yourself, by making unnecessary adjustments, are you really happy? It’s very easy to interfere in others life and comment on something like this. Open your eyes and look around there are many women keeping “Patience” and getting killed or committing suicide at the end. Now tell me… how would you describe patience???????

Always give it a thought – how many women around you are really happy? At least independent women have choice. What choice do house hold ladies have, if they are keeping the “above mentioned” patience, they also have to think about being “Independent” to take care of themselves and their children at some stage. (I do respect all home makers and I am grateful for their contribution, but if they smile, it does not mean they are happy!)

Find below few stories of “patience” … You will come to know the limit of patience in an independent woman. I still could not believe she is not there anymore Ruchi we will miss you... There are many such women we have lost. I don’t know how to act or react on this. However, I wouldn’t call it an act of cowardice; it takes courage to end your own life!

To quote another example- my own friend,though she was a working woman, got beaten on many occasions, still kept patience and waited that everything will be alright, but faced the same fate, got divorced recently and taking care of her only child. Yea, there is a plus point that she received full support from her parents. It’s not the question of being independent or dependent, when it comes to patience, every woman is almost the same.

Sometimes even her own parents do not support her because of the society. Another of my acquaintance went to the extent of committing suicide because of patience as her own parents did not support her. The point to be noted here that she was shattered but her parents chose to be with society, instead of supporting her and kept telling her that everything will be alright. Result?… she is no more now.

If you want more examples – just Google it!!! 🙂

If society had been so generous, women wouldn’t have to leave their house and children to be independent. Widen your horizon before commenting on anything. The world is not restricted to your surroundings only.

No matter our situation or status we all always have choices. How we make our choices obviously differs from person to person, but the option to choose is within everyone. I firmly believe we create our own reality, the choices we make in life provide us with our experience.

As you all know, our brother Narsimha, a fellow navodayan from JNV Medak (1991-98), met with tragic accident two years ago which resulted in amputation of his leg and an infection in kidneys, lungs and spinal cord. He is from poor, agriculture dependent family and is father of three kids. His brother died recently in another unfortunate incident who was the sole earner and financial supporter of his family.

Inherently, we know we are navodayans and we have been designed to live for something greater than ourselves. Our greatest successes in life are often found in helping others. Narasimha needs our help in order to get better treatment and continue supporting his family. It will be a shame to see a navodayan lose his life due to lack of money. So, please come forward and join hands together to help him survive in whatever way you can and your support will give hope to him and his family. We truly appreciate your help and efforts in helping Narasimha!

Someone has rightly said that “Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something”. It is in fact the collective effort of everyone to make small contributions with a lot of heart. Little efforts count, and you don’t have to be concerned about making small contribution as everyone’ small contribution will collectively be a big one. And it is the effort that counts!!!

Some donations have come to the account of Rajkishor and Narasimha while some of have donated through other channels including Milaap. Additionally, the details of contribution made till now are given below:

We request all our JNV Alumni, family and friends to help raise the minimum requiredamount of Rupees 500,000 to meet his treatment costs. At the same time, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been supporting this cause.

You may donate online or through our many other ways like through Paytm # 9619500732. We have made it easy to help in ways that work for you.

“How can I convince my wife to leave her job to raise our child?”

The above question is asked by somebody in Quora and I liked the response shared by Shweta Sharma an alumnus of JNV Jojawar. I am quoting her reply below:

Here is how, Don’t!

There is a possibility she might already have considered it, analysed the scenario at her work place and decided against it for some valid reasons. Getting back to workforce is not as easy as sounds. If one of you can get extended leaves, great. If not, try seeking family support if possible. I agree that leaving an infant with nanny does not sound like the perfect solution. But try thinking this from her perspective. Now you have not mentioned what industry she works in, but at some work places the competition is cut throat. I have spend good one year out of the work force and I know the toll it takes on your confidence and skills. Unless she expresses the desire to quit her job for sometime herself, try not making things difficult for her.

I am not a mother yet, but I have seen working mothers very closely. I cant even express the guilt they carry all the time. The guilt for not being a good wife, for not being there when the kid needed them, for not spending every waking second with the kid! Chances are, she is already having post partum depression. It is important to get the support system robust for the time being. I agree that the kid needs much attention, but as selfish as it sounds, you guys were spouses first and parents later. Listen to her. She might have good reasons to continue to work. She might have insecurities about leaving work which she cant voice. In any case, this decision should come from her. Ideally this is something couples discuss before the situation arises. But now that you are already on the field, don’t lose that team spirit. God knows you will need it when the kid will be a teenager. Both of you will have to put in efforts to raise the kid and both of you will have to support each other.

Most of the days, on my way to work I see a woman with her baby. The baby girl is around 6-7 months old. The mum takes the baby with her, drops it in day care and on her way back, gets the baby along. It is such a lovely sight! It helps that it is a happy baby! She keeps all of us engaged, waves around to everyone, blows kisses, keeps giggling. But most of all, the baby and the mum, they just seem so happy to see each other! It just melts our hearts every time we see them. Once I had to change my route and catch the train at the stop where they start. The kid just could not stop kissing her mum, and the mum reciprocated. Of course, the kid cooled down in some time and her attention was shifted to showing her mum all things interesting, like her fingers or the hoarding or a passing train! That is the kind of relationship you want with your kid! Not one where a dissatisfied human being hoovers over the kids’ heads to prove to be a good parent.

Take your time to understand this new situation, give your wife sometime too. Be really careful about this nanny thing, take all steps necessary to ensure the person you are leaving your kid with is reliable.

There is a pearl of wisdom I got from one of my previous managers, “when you will be a parent don’t forget to be a wife. remember he was there first, and he will be around when the kid spreads it’s wings. Never abandon this friendship. Because it is what gives you strength.” Now you don’t need to be a wife, that advice was custom made for me, but rest of it can be true for you.

Well, so here it goes my stand! 🙂

I would say “No”, please don’t. It should be her choice! I would say it should be her decision to work or stay home with the kids, and most important is she ‘must‘ do what will make her most happy, not what ‘should‘ make her happy. You don’t need to convince her for which she is not ready to sacrifice. I have seen mostly women leave their job to sacrifice their career in the name of marriage and child. Though they are highly educated and can stand on their own feet, but they find no option but to give up their careers for the sake of their family. Why should it be only a father who would do a job in order to earn money? Why don’t a man find him worthy enough to take care of his child? Let me tell you honestly, a mother loves her children more than her own life. It is a mother who sees that her children’s needs are fulfilled before her own. And being a mother she must have thought something and planned well to take such decision. If you convince her that would anyways have a bad effect on your relationship with her. So, you don’t need to convince or force her. Instead convince yourself that it’s her life, her choices, and it’s all about her decision! Respect it!!!

I think, there is a dividing line between ‘CHOICE’ and ‘SACRIFICE’!!! One must understand it. I would like to get answers for same question from all the corners as well. Let me see what others say about it.

Like this:

I feel being silent sometimes is the best possible solution or say golden practice at times when an argument is going nowhere. But there are so many women who are suffering in silence. Please understand that remaining silent is not at all a solution of suffering.

I am posting a poem which is written by one of my loving junior Shweta from JNV Katihar, Bihar. The title of her poem “Chuppi Todo” encourages women to raise your voice against the violence.